‘Ad

According to Islamic tradition, Ad (also called Aad) is the great-grandson of Shem, son of Noah (Arabic: sam ibn Nuh سام بن نوح) who came from the northeast and was the progenitor of the Adites. Noah is said to be Ad's the great-great-grandfather, he being the son of Awadh(Uz) (عوض), who was the son of Iram (إرم), who was the son of Shem (سام) the son of Noah (نوح).

In Islamic tradition, the Adites are believed to be among the first inhabitants of the country of the Arabians. They belong to what is known as the perished Arabs (العرب البائدة).

After Ad's death, his sons Shadid and Shedad reigned in succession over the Adites. "ʿĀd" then became a collective term for all those descended from 'Ad.

According to the Qur'an, Iram (إرم) is the place to which the prophet Hud (هود) was sent in order to guide its people back to the righteous path of God. The citizens continued in their idolatrous ways, and Allah destroyed^[1] their city in a great storm.

Surah 89:6-14 mentions ʿĀd:

The Quran, chapter 89 (Al-Fajr), verse 6 to 14:

6: Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ‘Aad -

7: [With] Iram – who had lofty pillars, 8: The likes of whom had never been created in the lands 9: And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley? 10: And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? – 11: [All of] whom oppressed within the lands 12: And increased therein the corruption. 13: So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment.

14: Indeed, your Lord is in observation.

— translated by

It is said that Hud along with his closest family escaped the region and resettled in and around the modern area of Hadramaut in Yemen. His grave is traditionally said to be located there till this day. According to Islamic scholarship, the descendants of Hud were the forerunners to the Pure Arabs (العرب العاربة).

See also

• Aad (Omani tribe)

References

External links

• NASA's Observatorium: Ubar -- The Lost City
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ubar/